Gazans fear assault on last refuge

Plus, Saudi Arabia is pushing for a US defense pact.

View in Browser Sign up for Reuters newsletters Daily Briefing More than half of Gaza's 2.3 million residents are now crammed into Rafah, Tesla is recalling nearly all its US vehicles, and Japan has a message for Donald Trump.   Plus, England has brought in a controversial ban on XL Bully dogs. UK correspondent Farouq Suleiman told today's Reuters World News podcast why feelings are running high on both sides of the debate.   By Linda Noakes Today's Top News A displaced Palestinian child in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa  MIDDLE EAST Israeli forces shelled the outskirts of the last refuge on the southern edge of the Gaza Strip, where the displaced, penned against the border fence in their hundreds of thousands, said they feared a new assault with nowhere left to flee. The United Nations humanitarian office described the southern border town of Rafah as a "pressure cooker of despair". Gaza cobblers are working by roadsides to mend the shoes of the displaced who are trekking through mud and rubble. Saudi Arabia would be willing to accept a political commitment from Israel to create a Palestinian state, rather than anything more binding, in a bid to get a defense pact with Washington approved before the US presidential election, sources told Reuters. IN OTHER NEWS Two of France's main farming unions urged protesters who have staged hundreds of tractor blockades across the country to go back home, after the government announced measures to try to quell the anger in a movement that has spread across Europe. Hungary's Viktor Orban said that he "went to the wall" for his country before agreeing to an EU deal yesterday to extend new aid to Ukraine and that he averted the risk of losing EU funds earmarked for Budapest from the bloc's joint coffers. Malaysia halved the jail sentence of former premier Najib Razak, who was convicted in relation to the multibillion-dollar 1MDB scandal, a move expected to raise further questions about Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's commitment to fighting graft. Donald Trump has made his myriad legal woes a major focus of his presidential campaign, but after raking in millions around his first court appearances last year he has seen a sharp dropoff in fundraising off his sometimes combative clashes with judges. The first in a one-two punch of atmospheric river storms soaked Southern California with drenching rains, triggering scattered flooding and rush-hour road closures in a precursor to a larger, wetter blast expected to sweep ashore over the weekend. Business & Markets Tesla Model 3 vehicles are shown for sale in Long Beach, California in this file photo. REUTERS/Mike Blake Tesla is recalling 2.2 million vehicles, or nearly all of its electric vehicles in the United States, due to incorrect font sizes on warning lights increasing the risk of a crash. In more auto news, we look at how Toyota is set to outshine rivals as consumers opt for hybrids. Sign up for the Reuters Auto File newsletter for all the latest on the industry.  Apple forecast a drop in iPhone sales and targeted overall revenue $6 billion below Wall Street expectations as its China business took a hit. This overshadowed overall fiscal first-quarter sales and profit that beat analysts' targets. Meta Platforms issued its first dividend days ahead of flagship social network Facebook's 20th anniversary, while reporting revenue and profit that beat expectations on robust ad sales in the holiday shopping period. Investors lulled into thinking US regional banks were out of the woods have been given a jolt by New York Community Bank. The under-the-radar lender's earnings report sparked a sell-off in the sector nearly a year after two banks failed. The Week Ahead The Chinese Year of the Dragon is around the corner, but the world's second largest economy is anything but roaring right now, while tough talk from central bankers has made investors less confident about imminent relief from lower interest rates. Optimism is still running high in markets, but a degree of caution means bonds may be gearing up for a strong month, even in a bumper earnings season for stocks. Here's a look at the week ahead in world markets. Pakistan goes to the polls amid increasing violence in the west of the country and following hefty jail sentences for former prime minister Imran Khan. In Central America, El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele - who has described himself as the "World's Coolest Dictator" - looks set for a landslide election win after his crackdown on gang violence.  Women are poised to pile up the gold at the Grammy awards on Sunday, reflecting a rise in female representation on pop music charts and record-setting performances at stadium concerts and cinemas. Japan's message for Donald Trump Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping during the G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan, June 29, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque Japan, America's closest ally in Asia, has been trying to send a message to US presidential hopeful Donald Trump: don't try to strike any deal with China that could upend years of collective efforts to rein in Beijing and risk the region's fragile peace. Tokyo has stepped up attempts to engage with people close to Trump in recent weeks, as Prime Minister Fumio Kishida prepares for an April state visit to the US at President Joe Biden's invitation. The World in Pictures Take a look at some of our best photojournalism from around the world this week. Sponsors are not involved in the creation of newsletters or other Reuters news content. Advertise in this newsletter or on Reuters.com Reuters Daily Briefing is sent 5 days a week. Think your friend or colleague should know about us? Forward this newsletter to them. They can also sign up here.   Want to stop receiving this email? Unsubscribe here. To manage which newsletters you're signed up for, click here. Reuters Terms & Conditions and Privacy Statement © 2024 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved. 3 Times Square, New York, NY 10036